


Christmas time with you.

by madam_wakefield



Category: Holby City
Genre: Berena Secret Santa, Christmas, F/F, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 01:59:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17112308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madam_wakefield/pseuds/madam_wakefield
Summary: Written for my Berena Secret Santa with a prompt "berena in love, fluff, sut, christmas, happiness."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A little AU, Elinor is still alive I imagine the accident still happened but not with the same outcome. The trauma unit also never got shut!

Serena loves Christmas. She always has and always will, so naturally the first year she is due to spend Christmas with Bernie in their shared house, she wants to find out what Bernie thinks Christmas is about.

“What makes Christmas magical for you?” she asks, one morning in late November when the two of them are both still slightly sleep-mussed but cuddled together, with no alarm to rush them out of bed. 

“What?” Bernie states dumbly, completely nonplussed by Serena’s question. Bernie looks down at Serena where her head is laid against her chest, trying to understand exactly what she wants to know, thinking maybe she wants present hints.

Serena starts speaking again. She can’t try to meld their Christmases into something special and amazing for the both of them if she doesn’t know what Bernie likes. “Is there anything special you do at Christmas time, any family traditions, any special ornaments that have be hung in a certain place or certain way?”

Bernie shakes her head gently. She thinks she doesn’t need to give more of a response until Serena pushes for it. “What do you mean, no? There has got to be something.”

Bernie smiles gently at Serena, loving the fact they still get to learn new things about each other every day. “I spent so many of my Christmases in different countries—often not even realising it was Christmas Day—I never really got around to making any Christmas traditions.” And Serena gets that when Bernie explains, but it doesn’t mean she isn’t a little saddened by it, so she promises to herself to make Bernie’s Christmas the best one she’s ever had.

The conversation is forgotten, at least by Bernie, until early December. They are in their shared office, which is now decorated for the festive season, catching up on paperwork on what it an unusually quiet shift, especially for December. Serena looks up at Bernie from her computer screen, a smile lighting up her face at the look of concentration on Bernie’s.

“What do you want for Christmas?” Serena then asks out of the blue. She’s got a few ideas but definitely not enough to fill under the tree and Bernie’s stocking.

Bernie taps her computer keyboard for a few more seconds, clearly finishing whatever sentence she was in the middle of writing before looking up at Serena. “I don’t want or need anything, and I wasn’t expecting anything either. I’ve got exactly what I want already.” And the loving look Bernie sends her way leaves no doubt in Serena’s mind that she means her, and she can feel her heart expanding in her chest with the love she has for Bernie.

“I love you,” she states for what must be the millionth time in their relationship, but it doesn’t hold any less meaning than it did the first time she ever uttered the words to Bernie. “I also love that you feel you have everything, but it’s Christmas so there has to be presents.” Bernie can’t help but think this sounds similar to a conversation they had not too long ago about Christmas traditions and once again begins to explain herself 

“I love you too, but in my experience, Christmas doesn’t always mean presents. When I was deployed, I was lucky if Marcus actually remembered to take the time to send me a care package Christmas present. And the children spent multiple Christmases without presents while I was abroad because he was too busy and forgot. So honestly, to have someone that’s actually thinking about my needs, while loving, cherishing and adoring me is honestly all I really need.”

Serena’s heart clenches with physical pain and her hate for Marcus grows ten-fold. She’s never been his biggest fan, but since becoming Bernie’s girlfriend, she has learnt a lot about the man that makes her dislike him and this has to be the worst. She cannot believe that someone who claimed to have loved Bernie could forget to send his wife and the mother of his children a present while she was busy serving the country.

Serena decides that right now she can’t continue with paperwork. “Oh Bernie, I’m so sorry. I understand why you feel that way, but I will never not buy you Christmas presents, no matter where in the world you are. And right now, I think we both deserve a break and a strong hot coffee.” She walks around the desk to Bernie’s computer, offering her hand to help her up, and as they leave the office together, she vows once again to make Bernie’s Christmas the most magical ever.

Serena starts to put her plan into action that very weekend. It is traditionally the weekend she puts up the Christmas tree in her house, and always has been. Even if she is at work, she always finds time to decorate the tree. But first she realises that all the decorations are hers and Ellie’s, the little kid ones they made and brought home from school that no parent can ever bring themselves to part with. She decides that Bernie needs to add her own decorations to the tree, so early Saturday morning finds the two of them out shopping.

They spend a while walking around the Christmas market in town, picking up a few presents for Evie, and for Fletch and Mikey. Bernie never knew Christmas could be like this, not suspecting that Serena would buy things for a lot of the people on the ward as well as Fletcher’s children who she makes sure she sees at least once over Christmas.

They find a lovely ornament stand where Bernie finds a wooden wolf ornament that she just falls in love with. And Serena can’t help but think it’s perfect, and will really be Bernie’s own stamp on their Christmas tree. Serena is so excited to get a spend a first magical Christmas at home with Bernie.

The next day Ellie wakes them up bright and early with a knock on the door. “So much for sleepy Sunday morning sex,” Bernie mumbles as she kisses Serena gently before forcing herself into the bathroom to get dressed, leaving Serena to go and answer the door. Before long, however, Bernie almost completely forgets about sleepy Sunday morning sex. 

Once Serena and Bernie are both dressed and dosed up with coffee, Ellie sets a totally cheesy Christmas playlist to play through her Bluetooth speaker before they begin the mammoth task of decorating the house and tree. Bernie being Bernie offers to be the one to remove all the decorations from the loft. And she can’t quite believe just how many boxes there are. The years she was home for Christmas she knows they never had more than three boxes of decorations each Christmas, and one of them was the Christmas tree.

Serena sets about untangling the tinsel, laying it out into nice neat rows, and Ellie works on rearranging the mantle. Bernie feels a bit lost, not quite sure what to do with herself. In the end she ends up untangling and testing the Christmas tree lights, replacing any bulbs that are dimming or have already burned out completely. 

At exactly 11 o’clock there is a knock at the door, and the local Christmas tree farm has arrived with their tree. Bernie has to admit that once it’s in place in the living room, even before it’s decorated, it looks better than any fake tree she has ever had. And the smell that it emanates from it is just as lovely, and does make her think of Christmas.

Serena makes placing the lights so easy. Bernie has never quite been able to work out where to start, or how not to get them tangled on the tree, or how to make sure they equally fill all the branches, but watching Serena work is magical, the smile on her face is genuine and Bernie is very content to just watch her girlfriend. Bernie is roped into helping with the tinsel, standing around the back of the tree, while the three of them feed the tinsel around to each other to ensure that it is placed just as well at the back as it is the front.

Bernie takes a step back once the tinsel is in place and watches Ellie and Serena set about placing the ornaments with practiced grace. It’s lovely watching the two women work together. She knows Ellie didn’t get on with her too well at first but they have come a long way since then.

“Hey Bernie, come over here and help instead of just staring at mum’s ass, will you?”

Of course, Ellie would bust her like that, but it’s just proof of how far to accepting them as a couple she really has come. And Bernie has to smile. To be welcomed into Serena’s family group like this is more than she could ever have imagined. It also makes her heart yearn for her own children. While Ellie has come a long way in accepting their relationship, her own children still haven’t forgiven her for everything that happened with their dad, and she’s lucky if she gets a short phone call from each of them every month.

She shakes the sadness from her mind for a while, wanting to actually be able to savour these good memories that she’s making with Serena and, of course, Ellie too. She stands to allow Serena to kiss her gently, knowing that her girlfriend knows what she was thinking about, before taking the bauble she offers and setting out to find a place on the tree to hang it.

After she places her first few decorations on the tree, Bernie really starts to get into the swing of it. Her own smile is genuine and she can’t think of anywhere else she’d rather be. When they are close to finishing, the tune coming from Ellie’s speaker changes to ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’, and even with her rubbish music knowledge, Bernie recognizes a few songs when she hears them. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about that this year, right,” Ellie jokes over the top of the song.

“No, you just have to worry about this instead,” Serena jokes back, before taking two steps towards Bernie and pulling her into a long but chaste kiss. Ellie makes fake sick noises behind them and they all end up in a fit of giggles, unable to continue with any tree decorating for a good five minutes. Once the tree is finished, under Serena’s instruction, Bernie picks up the little paper bag containing her new [wolf](https://res.cloudinary.com/hardtofind/image/upload/c_pad,h_600,w_600/cs_srgb,f_auto,fl_lossy/v1/product_image/tizl4vlmfgmkpqiwbpmw) decoration and places it gently onto the tree. It blends in well with all the elegant decorations hanging there. At the sight of it, Ellie smiles before speaking.

“Wait there, I have something else,” she says before departing the room, Serena and Bernie both look at each other puzzled, but they don’t have any time to ask questions before Ellie is barreling back into the room. She hands Bernie a very similar paper bag. Bernie holds it in her hand for a minute before Ellie prompts her to open it.

Inside is a [wooden B](https://cdn7.bigcommerce.com/s-yfpwl9z/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/1852/10603/0157__95426.1535205192.jpg?c=2&imbypass=on&imbypass=on) engraved with snowflakes and her name. Bernie’s eyes tear up. “Mum and I both have one that she got us our first Christmas alone, and I thought it only right you have one to match to really make you part of the family.” At Ellie’s words Bernie can’t help but let her tears fall as she throws her arms around Ellie, and after a few seconds, she feels Serena join them too.

“Thank you, Ellie, it’s beautiful, and thank you for accepting me into your family. I know you haven’t always found it easy, but it really does mean a lot.” She pulls back then not waiting to push Ellie too far.

“You really have just made me so proud, Ellie,” Serena says, and Bernie can tell from her voice that she’s been crying too. Bernie places the decoration on the branch next to Serena’s similar one, before Serena announces that the tree is officially finished.

 They eat a shared lunch and because it’s Christmas, Serena opens a bottle of shiraz—as if she needs an excuse—before the spend the rest of the day decorating the remainder of the house. By the end of the day, Bernie can see why Christmas can really be a magical time, and knows there is nowhere and no one she’d rather be spending Christmas with.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing smut so please be gentle!

The holiday preparations continue the same way over the next two weeks. They unexpectedly spend multiple nights at the dining room table when Bernie learns that sending Christmas cards jointly means “Yes, darling, of course I expect you to sign your own name on the cards.”

There are a lot more cards to write than she expected, multiple people in the hospital Bernie is sure she has never shared a single word with but knows she has been in the same room with for meetings, the totally unique and dysfunctional AAU family. There are friends of Serena that have moved onto new hospital ventures, ones that Bernie has heard of in conversations but doesn’t actually know. Serena assures her that she wants to jointly send the Christmas cards because she wants her friends to know about them.

Then it’s Bernie’s turn and her pile is significantly smaller. Cameron and Charlotte are at the top of her list as she knows they’ve already decided to spend Christmas with Marcus and his girlfriend—his third in as many years. She has a few friends from the military she still keeps in touch with. It’s a little strange sending cards from the two of them, but it feels invigorating to really be able to be herself. 

She sends one to her aunt and uncle in Germany and one to her uncle who lives on the other side of Holby and lastly, even though she knows it probably won’t be received well, she addresses one to her parents. She hasn’t heard from either of them since Marcus decided it was his job to inform them of their relationship breakup and the exact reason behind it.

They post the cards one evening on the way back from what is an absolutely crazy day at work as a result of the icy weather and Christmas decorating disasters. The spend evenings snuggled up on the sofa watching Christmas films. 

One day they babysit Guinevere to allow Jason and Greta to go out together and buy her Christmas presents. It’s cold but sunny and they take her for a walk to the park where Serena pushes her on the swings, and Bernie—ever the big kid—sits her on her lap while they go down the slide. They take her home and she falls asleep in Bernie’s arms while they watch Elf.

The two of them are lucky enough to have time off for the work Christmas party. They attend together, Serena looking stunning in a red cocktail dress. Serena says Bernie takes her breath away when she sees her in the tailored dark blue suit that accentuates her curves in all the right places. They both drink far more than they should and both wake in the morning with terrible hangovers.

They spend a lot of December working, part of the deal of having scored Christmas Day off, and some days have one or both of them called into work by the red phone, their expertise being needed. Being able to save people’s lives and ensuring they can go home to their families is special at any time, but in the lead up to Christmas—which is all about family—it seems just that extra bit special.

And before they know it, it’s Christmas Eve. Bernie agreed to work a shift and Serena had agreed to take a late shift on Boxing Day.

Bernie walks into the house at 7pm on Christmas Eve to the sound of Michael Bublé playing on the stereo and the smell of baking permeating every corner. She walks into the kitchen to find Serena in her apron, hands covered in flour and making pastry. Serena turns around at the sound of Bernie’s footsteps and they meet in a gentle embrace. Bernie kisses Serena in greeting before pulling away. “Dinner is in the microwave, honey. I ate mine earlier as Jason, Greta and Gwen popped round. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t,” Bernie replies, quickly kissing Serena in thanks as she hands her a full glass of shiraz. Bernie warms her dinner and props herself against the kitchen side as she eats, too content to watch Serena, who has gone back to making the pastry, to be bothered to sit down at the dining room table.

Serena finishes the pastry just as Bernie finishes dinner. Serena places the pastry in the fridge as Bernie places her plate in the dishwasher before taking advantage of their proximity and pulling Serena close by the waist. She wraps her arms around her gently and kisses her again, letting her tongue run along Serena’s lips, tasting the Shiraz on them.

“Help me make mince pies?” Serena asks, just another one of the things she plans on using to help make Bernie’s Christmas magical.

“Take the pastry out of the fridge,” Serena instructs after she’s tied Bernie’s apron around her waist, kissing the top of her head for good measure. Serena herself sets to sprinkling the worktop with icing sugar so they can roll out the pastry.

She hands Bernie the rolling pin. “Roll out the pastry until it’s about 3mm thick,” she instructs gently and Bernie takes the rolling pin from her. She uses her free hand to pick up her glass of wine and take a rather large sip.

“Wait. How in the hell do I roll it to 3mm? That’s a very exact figure,” Bernie states after she’s been rolling the pastry for a minute or so, as if her brain has only just caught up with what it’s been asked to do.

Serena rolls her eyes lovingly at her girlfriend. “Darling, are you or are you not a great trauma surgeon? You know all about the difference a millimetre or two can make.” Bernie turns and literally pouts at her in response.

“I was hoping that would be hint for you to show me,” Bernie states before pouting again. Serena kisses the pout away before moving to stand close behind her, taking hold of her hands gently and guiding her in rolling out the pastry.

“Better?” she asks, not stopping in her movement.

“Much,” Bernie beams, and if Serena isn’t mistaken, she’s sure Bernie lied about the pastry just to get her into this position, not that she’s complaining. She can think of much worse places to be on Christmas Eve than spooning her lover, chin resting gently on her shoulder.

“Perfect,” Serena says a few minutes later when the pastry is at just the right thickness. She hands Bernie the pastry cutter. “Cut out 24 circles for me, please, love. I’m just going to get the filling from the fridge.”

By the time Serena has uncovered the homemade filling and given it a final stir and then greased the inside of two backing tins, all the circles are cut.

“Place the circles in here for me, love, and place a tablespoon and a half of the filling in each,” Serena says, handing the tins to Bernie. “I’m going to roll out the rest of the pastry for the lids.”

They work in a comfortable silence for a while, Serena humming to the music under her breath, though Bernie isn’t even sure she realises she’s doing it. Before long the lids are ready to go onto the pies. Serena shows Bernie how to do the first one, sealing it before glazing it with egg and adding a tiny air hole. They take a tray each and isn’t long before the mince pies are ready for the oven.

It’s only once they are in the oven that Serena realises how messy Bernie has gotten. She has a streak of sugar down her nose, she has more running through her hair and a smear of mincemeat across her cheek.

“What ever are we going to do with you?” she chuckles gently as she swipes her thumb through the mincemeat before sucking it from her thumb, moaning at the taste. She always has been a good cook. 

She sees Bernie’s eyes widen at the action and decides she doesn’t want to stop. She slides her thumb along Bernie’s cheek again, this time offering it to Bernie to suck. This time it’s Bernie’s turn to moan at the taste. Bernie takes her time sucking on Serena’s thumb, using her tongue much more than necessary to get the mincemeat off. Serena feels Bernie’s breath hitch and in the end she can’t help but back her lover up against the wall, removing her thumb and slamming their lips together.

She swipes her tongue against Bernie’s lips and is quickly granted access. Bernie tastes of mincemeat but somehow also still of her usual chocolate and honeycomb. She feels Bernie’s fingers card through her hair, then rubbing along her collar bone just the way she likes. She herself reaches behind Bernie and caresses her hair gently before pulling her head back gently to allow for access to her neck. She removes her mouth from Bernie’s who whines at the loss before whining again when Serena’s teeth graze down her neck.

She uses her free hand to begin unbuttoning Bernie’s shirt, quickly sliding it off her shoulders and onto the floor. Just as the shirt hits the floor, the timer on the oven rings.

“Stay there and don’t move,” Serena commands, gently nipping at Bernie’s neck in warning. She removes the pies from the oven in record time and by the times she’s back to Bernie, she has lost her own shirt.

She kisses Bernie hard again, hand going behind her back to unhook her bra, slipping the straps off her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. Her hands come up and cup Bernie’s breasts, thumbs teasing her nipples. Bernie whines breathlessly. Her nipples have always been so sensitive and she can feel herself beginning to throb.

“Fuck! Serena, I need you!” Serena’s only response is to bend down and take one of Bernie’s nipples into her mouth, lapping at the hardened nub while rolling the other one between her fingers. She feels Bernie’s hands come up to remove her bra. The cool air of the kitchen makes her nipples instantly harden. Once she feels she’s given that nipple enough attention to really drive Bernie wild, she switches to the other side. Bernie’s senses are already in overdrive so when Serena runs her teeth along the second nipple, she lets out a moan that tells Serena she’s teased enough.

She kisses Bernie again, gently backing them towards the dining room until Bernie’s legs bump against it. “Mmmm, off!” Serena moans herself as she unbuttons Bernie’s skinny jeans, pulling down the zipper before allowing Bernie to extract herself from them. Soon they are both standing in just their knickers. 

Serena pushes Bernie back against the table, forcing her to lie down before climbing on top and straddling her hips. Thank goodness for solid oak furniture! 

She kisses a path down Bernie’s body, focusing on all those areas she knows she loves, like the little spot behind her ear that literally makes her breath stop and her heart surgery scar that Serena always pays special attention to. She nips at Bernie’s rib cage before moving herself off the table to allow her to kiss up and down each of Bernie’s thighs, careful to avoid that sweet spot Bernie really wants her to reach.

“Please, Serena,” Bernie whines when she can’t take anymore. “Please! I need you now!”

“I’ve got you,” Serena says lovingly, finally bringing herself down to kiss over the soaked patch in Bernie’s underwear. She can already tell how wet Bernie is going to be. She taps Bernie’s hips and Bernie lowers them quickly, allowing Serena to swiftly pull down her own underwear.

Serena noses at Bernie’s curls, intoxicated by her smell. She blows gently, teasing Bernie just a little more. “Oh, god, Serena, please,” Bernie moans above her. Serena takes hold of Bernie’s thighs before licking her entrance, long hot strokes allowing her to taste just how teased and turned on Bernie really is. She presses her thumb against Bernie’s clit, rubbing in tight circles as she begins to thrust her tongue inside Bernie, moaning at the taste which in turn causes Bernie to moan at the sensation.

“Fuck, Serena, don’t stop!” Serena keeps going, pushing Bernie as fast as she can with her tongue until Bernie is a writhing mess above her. “Close, fuck, Serena, so close.” 

Serena knows she can’t quite push Bernie over the edge like this, so she pulls her tongue out, moving it to flick over Serena’s swollen clit before thrusting three fingers inside, swiftly rubbing at Bernie’s g-spot. The change in sensation sends Bernie over the edge, and Serena hears the scream above as Bernie’s orgasm hits, liquid coating Serena’s fingers. She continues to lap at Bernie’s clit as she coaxes her through the last of the orgasm until Bernie is squirming with oversensitivity.

Serena removes her fingers from Bernie and brings them up to her own lips, sucking on them and reveling in Bernie’s taste. “Come here,” Bernie commands when she calms down from her own orgasm enough to speak. Serena straddles Bernie again, and allows Bernie to pull her into a searing kiss, Bernie tasting herself on Serena tongue.

From their position, Bernie pulls Serena’s underwear down her thighs, rubbing her fingers through her folds and feeling Serena’s own wetness. 

“Yes, god, Bernie, yes, please,” Serena begs, but it’s Bernie’s turn to tease, fingers moving between teasing her clit and her entrance but never quite pushing in. Serena becomes desperate and in the end, when Bernie moves to tease her entrance again, thrusts her hips down, moaning as two of Bernie’s long nimble fingers enter her. 

Bernie pumps them lazily at first, drawing long ragged breaths from Serena, enjoying the way she can make her partner fall apart in such an amazing way. She can tell when Serena grows restless, trying to push her hips down further to gain more friction. Bernie pulls her two fingers out and thrusts them back in, adding a third to join them. She sucks Serena’s earlobe into her mouth and she starts to thrust her fingers at an unforgiving pace, ensuring that she grazes Serena g-spot with each thrust.

She knows Serena is close when her moans turn to whimpers. Serena doesn’t beg with words but the whimpers makes Bernie weak. She finds it in her to speed up just a little as she pushes her thumb against Serena’s clit. She feels Serena walls clamping tightly around her fingers as her orgasm hits. Bernie teases her through it, not relenting on her teasing when the orgasm has stopped. 

The whines from Serena start up again almost instantly and Bernie is rewarded when, thirty seconds later, Serena bites down sharply on her collar bone as she falls over the edge again. She strokes her gently through it before extracting her fingers and pulling Serena into a gentle kiss. 

“I could get used to spending Christmas Eve like this,” she whispers with a smile.


End file.
